Univ. Of Oregon, Oregon State Partner With State Lottery For Scratch Tickets

Oregon State Lottery partners schools for scratch-off ticket

The Oregon Lottery last week launched "Civil War scratch-it tickets" around the Oregon-Oregon State college football rivalry, and they "might be the nation's first lottery tickets linked to college football teams," according to Rachel Bachman of the Portland OREGONIAN. Oregon Lottery Public Affairs Manager Mary Loftin said that each school "received about $60,000 for its partnership in the scratch-it, and in exchange will run various ads and promotions." The $2 tickets "carry a top prize of $7,000 and come in three versions: one with an Oregon player, one with an Oregon State player and one with both squaring off, helmet to helmet." While the tickets "do not present a sports-gambling issue," they do "walk the tightrope between the exploding world of college-sports marketing and aging ideals about what kinds of things to associate with an ostensibly amateur, education-centered pursuit." Oregon State "approved the use of its Beaver logo" for use on the tickets, but UO "refused the use of its 'O' mark." University officials "even nixed the football uniforms' distinctive wings, producing a depiction of a player who looks, unlike the real Ducks, generic." UO Dir of Brand & Trademark Management Matt Dyste "could recall no other arrangement that barred an official sponsor from using a Ducks logo." OSU AD Bob De Carolis said that because "it is withholding the mark, Oregon's deal includes more lottery promotion than does OSU's." Joyce Julius VP/Research & Development Eric Wright said that "school-branded scratch-it tickets might be unprecedented" (Portland OREGONIAN, 8/24).

FLORIDA GETS IN ON THE ACTION: The Florida Lottery yesterday announced a partnership with eight colleges in the state -- Central Florida, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida State, Miami and South Florida -- that will result in the Fan-tastic College Football Promotion. Participants who buy a lottery ticket for $10 or more will receive a voucher with a serial number that can be entered into a sweepstakes. Awards include $10,000, trips to a bowl game and team merchandise. The promo will last Aug. 29-Nov. 30 (Florida Lottery).